Coal briquette



Aug. 20, 1935. J. AERICKSON 2,011,971 I y oAL BRIQUETTE Filed Feb. 29, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVEN TOR.

ATTORNEY Aug. 20, 1935. J. A. ERICKSON COAL BRIQUETTE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 29, 1932 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 20, 1935 UNITED "2,011,971 e r H l ooAL ,nnlountrrp j John A. Erickson,[ackson I Application February 29, I I mm, (or. 44 -14) v '3 e z The present invention relates to an improvement in coal briquettesand in particular resides in a coal briquette of specific physical construction.

'5 In the handling of coal by the dealer there results a high percentage of coal dust andsiftings which, in such form, has no market an'durepresents a total loss. r I v The present invention has for its purpose to provide aninexpensive, molded 'briquette made from such coal dust and siftings whereby the coal dust and siftings in the form of briquettes may be readily handled and disposed of at a profit.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a coal briquette made up ota plurality of regular sections integrally forming a single brick which may be handled and stored as a unit but which may be broken upinto smaller sections'at the time of consumption.

Itis a further object of this invention to provide the briquette, in its original form, with a plurality of channels forming lines to facilitate bum- With this and other objects which appear as the description proceeds, this invention resides in the combination and arrangement of elements hereinafter described and set forth in the claim. I

In the accompanying drawings wherein one preferred embodiment of my invention is set forth:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my manually operated coal briquette machine.

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross sectional view of Fig. 1 taken upon the center line. v

Fig. 3 is an enlarged d tailed vertical crosssectional view taken through one of the cores of the matrix and a completed briquette showing the briquette being partially removed from the matrix.

Fig. 4 is a partial top view of. the matrix.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the molded coal briquette-supported upon the pallet employed to remove the briquette from the matrix.

As shown in Figs. 1 to 4 the molding machine consistsof a frame-work I having constructed therein amatrix 2 formed of side and end walls 3 having angle irons 3' welded thereto at spaced intervals and cores 4 in the form of square ended prisms supported at the bottom of the matrix 2 upon a'frame 5 secured in the framework I. The faces of the core prisms 4 are similar in form and area to the faces of theangular walls formed by the elements 3 and 3' and are solocated in the interior of the matrix 2 as to produce a molded briquette 6., consisting of a plurality of;

octahedralprismsjoined along substantiallyright v 7 angle frangible planesv a and b as shown; in Fig.5

toprovide parallel rows. The recesses c in the outer facesof the unitand channels (1 together with" the frangible joints define the, uniform geometric shapes making up the briquette and assist in' the burnlngtof the briquette as az unit. The geometricshapes of the briquettep-are ofa configuration providing substantially right angle frangible joir-itsbetween adjacent shapesin. the -1 same row and in the adjacent row. .;It will be apparent that when such shapes are broken up and stacked together there will always be provided air passages between adjacent shapes which will facilitate burning. 15

As shown in Fig. 5 pallets 6 are provided to form a bottom for the matrix 2 and a supporting member for the briquette 6 while the same are being removed from the molding machine to harden. v

In the operation of the briquette machine, a pallet 6 is first placed in the matrix 2 and supported therein on the-frame 5; the operator then, by means of the handles 1 secured to the strike off 8, draws the same forward over the matrix 2,

' my invention, bituminous binder and admixtures of Portland cement with calcium chloride have as proven successful. With the matrix 2 and the strike ofi 8 substantially filled with the loose mixture of coal and binder, the operator pulls downward upon the bar Hi to lower the tamper ll into the strike off 8 and matrix 2 and tamps the 40 loose mixture into the matrix 2, the tamper ll being equipped with bars l!" which pass between the cores 4 to compress the mixture therebetween. The bar It! is then released by the operator and the tamper H is returned to the 45 position shown in Fig. l by the springs 12.

With the tamper H in a raised position, the strike off 8 is pushed rearward smoothing off the top of the briquette 6' and removes the excess mixture to the rear of the machine. To remove 50 the pallet 6 and briquettefi from the machine, the foot lever I3 is depressed rocking the shaft l4 throughthe linkage I5. The rocking of the shaft l4, through the linkage l4 elevates the framework 'l6 guided for vertical movement by sleeve member I1 slidably mounted on vertical rods l8. Vertical push rods H] are threadedly secured to the corners of the frame-work I6 upon the rocking of the shaft [4 are adapted to contact with r the bottom of the pallet 6 forming the bottom of the matrix 2 and elevates the same as shown in Fig. 3 to the top of the matrix to permit the operator to remove the pallet 6 and the briquette supported thereby from the machine. To replenish the machine, the operator removes his foot from the foot lever I3 and the frame-work l6 and supported rods 19 are lowered by gravity to again elevate the lever l3 whereupon another;

pallet 6 may be placed in the matrix 2. l p

Altho in the description and drawings, I have shown and described an eight sided prlsm,=a

similar uniform product could be produced having an increasing number of sides represented by a multiple of four until a cylindrical shaped; briquette unit was approached. However; as the product approaches a cylindrical shape the necessary shape of the cores and side and end walls from the manufacturing standpoint made such shape impractical.

From the foregoing description itwill be'apparent that I have provided a briquette machine which may be profitably employedto. manually mold coal dust and siftings into large units capable of being readily handled during the process of manufacture and delivery to the congeometricshapes, said unit being provided with a plurality of internal vertically disposed channels, aplurality of vertically disposed recesses in the outer surfaces of the unit in opposed relationship to said channels to provide frangible joints, said channels,: recesses and frangible joints defining parallel rows of uniform geometric shaped sections, said frangible joints common to anyone of said sections. andtojsaidxrows being substantially. at right angles to each; other, vsaid channels and recesses facilitating the burning as a unit, said sections when broken along. said frangible joints being of a shape whereby axially extending'air passages are defined between superimposedsections and burning .of the separate sec.-

tions is improved. I 

